Chapter 8 - Yu Weiyuan's Battle

A few moments before

Yu Weiyuan watched Grand Elder Jia Feng join Mo Gui in the skies before redirecting his gaze to his two opponents, Elder Yao and Elder Kong, from whom he had already cut off one arm.

They faced each other in the air, waiting for the other to make the first move.

Yu Weiyuan was standing in the void in his black purple gold robes, his long ink-black hair tied into a high ponytail fluttering in the air behind him.

In his two sun-like eyes, a profound desire to kill could be distinguished.

Between Heaven and Earth, Yu Weiyuan and his two ennemies couldn't exist together.

'Both of them cultivated the Emotion Severing Sutra.' Yu Weiyuan thought, gripping his golden halberd tighter. 'They won't be affected by taunts.'

'I should take the initiative.'

As soon as the thought emerged, Yu Weiyuan acted: with a sweeping motion of his right arm, he slashed out with his halberd, sending a blade of razor-sharp golden Metal Qi across the distance.

The blade cut the air as it travelled swiftly towards the Elders. Elder Yao reacted quickly, her face as cold as ever, her Qi exiting her body, freezing in the air and transforming into ice, forming a solid shield that blocked the metallic blade.

[Shadow Shift]

Elder Kong passed behind Elder Yao, disappearing in her shadow.

Yu Weiyuan's gaze sharpened. 'This is the same technique Yang Shirong used in the Meeting Hall!'

His reaction was immediate. The golden halberd he held dispersed into Metal Qi and rejoined in his back, forming a two-layered gold barrier, brimming with the solidity of the most tempered of steels.

CLANG!

Elder Kong's remaining hand had transformed into a blade made out of pure insidious darkness, its serrated edge thirsty for blood colliding with Yu Weiyuan seamless barrier, producing a ear-piercing ringing sound.

[Shadow Steps]

As soon as the sound resounded, Elder Kong stepped backwards in escape, his two feets wrapped in shadows, fleeing as quickly as the darkness of the night before the light of the morning.

[Water Escape]

'Metal promotes Water'

With a thought, the golden Metal Qi remaining from the barrier melted into liquid, transforming into marine blue Water Qi that wrapped around Yu Weiyuan as he hurried in pursuit, becoming akin to a stream of water, with its flow rapid and continuous.

The moment he caught up with Elder Kong, a savage ruthlessness filled his gaze as he drew his right arm behind.

"YOU WON'T ESCAPE!!!" Yu Weiyuan's shout was filled with Soul Power, stunning Elder Kong as the sound passed through him, leaving a gap he was prepared to take advantage of.

[Wood Prison]

'Water promotes Wood'

He directed his Water Qi forward with one hand, using it to nurture the seed of Wood Qi he conjured with the other, making it grow into imposing tree roots as thick as metal bars.

The roots were like steel prongs as they entangled Elder Kong, immobilizing him for the one moment he needed to conclude his attack.

[Fire Burst]

'Wood... Promotes Fire!!!!' Yu Weiyuan roared in his mind as his Killing Intent resurfaced.

The Murderous Qi merged with the blazing red Fire Qi he gathered in his right palm, making it turn dark-red as strands of fiery and baleful energy trailed through the gaps of his fingers while he struck ferociously towards the emprisonned Elder Kong with unmatched power.

Elder Kong hurriedly brought his shadowy hand before him, forming three layers of Qi barriers before the burning palm burst towards him like a falling meteor.

BOOOM!

An explosion burst out of the impact, its flames fueled by the roots of Wood Qi intertwining the middle-aged man, setting the surroundings ablaze, searing heat spreading and distorting the space around the two ennemies.

They separated from their positions, Elder Kong backing up, his three layers of Qi smashed, his body full of major burns and his scalp devoided of half his hair.

[Icicle Rain]

During Elder Kong and Yu Weiyuan's exchange, Elder Yao had formed hundreds of spears of ice above her, filling the skies with freezing instruments of death. They flew out, streaking throught the air in pursuit of the young Sect Master.

As he saw this, Yu Weiyuan's eyes narrowed.

[Earth Wall]

'Fire promotes Earth.'

He waved his hand, making the Fire Qi remaining from the explosion turn into cinders, transforming into Earth Qi that formed an earthly bulwark before Yu Weiyuan to protect him from the spears' assault.

The icicles planted themselves into the rocky wall one by one, making cracks into it as it became more and more damaged because of Elder Yao's Ice Qi that corroded Yu Weiyuan's Earth Qi.

[Metal Thorns]

'Earth promotes Metal', He thought grudgingly. 'TRY THIS!!!'

He put his hand on the earth rampart and in response, part of the Earth Qi within turned into minerals, transforming into Metal Qi that condensed into metallic spikes that burst out of the wall, chasing Elder Yao and destroying all the sinister icy spears on their way as they shot forward.

At the same time, Elder Kong apparated before him through the shadow projected by the earth wall, piercing towards his heart with his shadow blade.

CLANG!!!

Chills spread in Elder Kong's dried up heart as he only saw his blade blocked by a heartplate of Metal Qi before he raised his head only to see Yu Weiyuan's bloodthirsty smile.

"Got you."

A blazing palm full of searing Fire Qi grasped Elder Kong's head, burning his skin as fumes rose in the air.

BOOM!

The fiery and volatile energy within Yu Weiyuan's palm exploded Elder Kong's body, sending pieces of his charred flesh flying in the air, leaving only a transparent version of him floating in the air.

'A Primordial Spirit.' Yu Weiyuan scowled, displeasure present in his eyes. 'How unpleasant.'

To break through the Divine Transformation Realm, a cultivator had to transform their Nascent Soul into a Primordial Spirit, bestowing upon their Soul the ability to leave its body and survive in spiritual form.

Immediately, Yu Weiyuan stimulated the Nine-Coloured Nascent Soul within his Dantian, conjuring his Soul Power to form a transparent blade that flew towards Elder Kong's fleeing Primordial Spirit, only to be met and stopped by a translucent wall of the middle-aged man's own Soul Power.

'Even if I have a Nine-Coloured Nascent Soul, it is still a Nascent Soul after all.' Yu Weiyuan lamented. 'My Soul Power is still half a step weaker than that of a Divine Transformation cultivator.'

'But theirs is particularly weak.' He observed after he felt the strength of the wall of Soul Power formed by Elder Kong.

'Does the process of severing the emotions weaken the Spirit in exchange for an easy breakthrough?' He pondered as Elder Kong joined Elder Yao who had just frozen the metal thorns in the air.

Yu Weiyuan waved his hand, and the earthly wall and the thorns dispersed in the air along with Elder Yao's Ice Qi.

The battle seemingly halted.

'How can I kill them with the way things are going?!'

Yu Weiyuan's Killing Intent, that he had done his best to restrain since the start of the battle, started to resurface as deep anger filled his heart.

'How can I satisfy my thirst?'

It slowly took form, a baleful aura shrouding his figure, tendrils of Murderous Qi drifting in the air.

'It's time.' He thought, calmness resurfacing in his mind. 'I will have to reveal one of my hidden cards.'